Skarner/Strategy
Champion Spotlight Recommended Items Tips ;Playing as * Basic attacks reduce the cooldown of . Use them as often as possible to keep up the damage. * A popular engage ability combo: ** in and fire to proc the , followed by multiple and upon your target to hasten back up. ;Playing against * Skarner can't harm you very much outside of short range, so keep your distance from him! * movement speed boost will persist only if the shield is unbroken, destroying his shield will cripple his mobility. * Skarner is stronger when around zones his team controls. Try to capture them ahead of time if a fight may break out around them. * Buy a to end the suppression from . Champions such as , , and also counter it. ;Playing with * Capturing nearby before attempting neutral objectives or team fights around them improves performance in said fights dramatically. Playstyle is a speedy and durable bruiser with unparalleled utility at chasing and locking down targets to deal consistent hybrid damage. His kit best serves him in the jungle, offering fast clear times and effective ganks. Ability Usage ; Q * This ability deals bonus damage when used subsequently. When engaging in a fight, be sure to slash before your first auto attack to get the full effect of the . * When ganking, charge off an enemy minion while on your way to enemy targets to maximize your damage output. ; W * Consider the shield absorption as a last resort defense mechanic, since the extra mobility allows to avoid damage entirely. * Activate when ganking to quickly close the gap towards your targets. ** Be cautious not to cast it too early - if the effect runs out before you reach your target, Skarner won't have any more mobility to pursue. ; E * This ability works best if you can follow up to proc . ; R * can easily peel away dangerous targets from a carry using , then slowing them with after the link is broken. ** Try to disable strong initiators like and to negate their disruptions in a teamfight * is not blocked by terrain, and this makes capable of dragging enemy champions directly through any terrain after it connects. For example, if an enemy champion is standing above the dragon pit and close enough to the ledge (such as if they are attempting a steal), can cast on the enemy champion above, then drag them into the pit with him. This tactic can also be done in certain areas of the jungle where the walls are thinnest to accommodate the skill's short range. * Charging in with , , , or into a is a quick way to grab key enemy targets and pull them into your team. * drags the opponent directly behind . You can turn around just before its duration ends to flip the enemy to the other side of his character model, further increasing the distance you displace them. * is uniquely powerful compared to other suppression spells such as and because it is not channeled, so it cannot be canceled by outside sources such as and . ** can remove , remember to check your target's build for it. Runes *The tree has tools that can support Skarner as an engage bruiser. ** is one of the few champions that can utilize the keystone effectively, giving a large boost of movement speed and extra basic attack damage that bolsters his intial engage. **Consider taking for bonus true damage with his CC spells. *As a fighter with to manage, the tree has plenty of options. ** The burst of movement speed from allows Skarner to run very fast in a sustained fight, especially when following up with . ** and gives huge free movement speed for his roaming, along with bonus offensive power that benefits off his abundant movement speed. Items * The purchase of is a powerful item thanks to the ability to repeatedly proc with . * cooldown is reduced with auto attacks. Thus, this skill synergizes strongly with attack speed items such as or . The faster can attack, the faster this ability will become available again and the more DPS he can push out. * Building attack speed indirectly reduces cooldown. ** Any items with on-hit effects such as or are good choices for . * A -based item synergizes perfectly with . Due to the low cooldown of his , can continuously proc , coupled with the fact that has some of the highest base attack damage in the game. ** A is an exceptionally strong item for . adds some damage to his abilities and he makes exceptional use of the passive. gives some attack speed and movement speed, which is valuable to him for reducing his cooldown and allowing him to keep up with an enemy champion. grants even more sticking power through its passive and greatly enjoys the attack damage and health it grants. ** , alternatively, provides with a tankier option. Compared to the , it provides less overall damage and movement speed but instead offers armor, with an AoE slow, cooldown reduction, and more mana. It is also a cheaper option, which could be helpful if you are not ahead. * As a hybrid champion, has strong attack damage and ability power scalings on his abilities. Depending on what you build, you could deal heavy physical damage or a nearly 50/50 mix of physical and magic damage. * Items such as , , and are all great choices for attack damage on Skarner. ** is present in nearly any build, due to the multitude of valuable stats it provides. Additionally, he is able to make great use of both passives on this item through repetitive usage of . ** is especially strong when combined with an item such as or , as it directly increases the damage of the passive. The passive grants a surprising amount of attack damage and survivability should you be bursted down. * Strong ability power items on Skarner generally include some type of defensive stats as well as AP, as you would otherwise be lacking tankiness to fight. A few powerful AP items on him would be , , and . ** is powerful thanks to granting a large chunk of health and ability power. However, the real strength in this item lies in its passive. Although 's slow usually only effects his , this effect alone makes it potent as it essentially grants a permanent slow as long as he continues to cast . ** is strong thanks to the magic penetration and the damage-over-time passive it has. This passive also benefits from the large roster of crowd control that has. In combination with , an ability power focused build on can deal hefty damage over time and keep an enemy in place to put it to effect. * As a low mobility melee champion, most builds include multiple defensive items so he can survive and close the gap between himself and the enemy team. * and are two great items for , as they both provide defensive stats and additional crowd control to add to his plethora of slows and immobilizes: ** provides Health, Armor, and damage reduction from critical strikes. It also gives an attack speed reduction to an enemy that auto-attacks you and a powerful AoE slow. If an AD Carry is the biggest threat on the enemy team, will aid greatly in keeping you alive as it can greatly reduce the amount of damage received from their auto-attacks. ** grants Health as well as Mana to resolve some mana problems. It can grant a massive movement speed increase for yourself and your team. If your team lacks initiation, it would be recommended to build this item as it allows you to easily pick off an enemy champion through usage of . * is another great item on , as it provides a huge amount of health which synergises extremely well with shield. * is an excellent item on . It grants heavy defensive stats at a fairly reasonable price, but the movement speed passive on this item is invaluable to no matter the situation though. This item allows to chase better, flee better, and arrive to fights right on time. If you are to purchase at the minimum one defensive item, should often be a go-to choice. * is another strong armor item on . He greatly values the cooldown reduction and armor on this item. Additionally, the mana is useful to allow Skarner to cast spells carefree of his mana. * and are both very potent magic resist items on . When facing heavy AoE magic damage or a Double-AP comp, can greatly mitigate the magic damage you and your team receive. When worried about single-target burst though, should be purchased. * Due to 's lack of dashes or blinks, he greatly benefits from an early pair of . * are an excellent option when being kited by a champion who is simply faster than you. When facing several slows on the enemy team but low amount of hard crowd control, also allow you to crawl through and reach your target. * are a great purchase when faced with several instances of hard CC on the enemy team. When faced with an early magic damage threat, these are also suggested. * should be purchased early against teams who are purely physical damage, as often you will need as much armor as possible to survive. The damage reduction against auto-attacks also improves your jungle sustain and brings an AD Carry's damage down noticeable. * In the modern jungle, is very versatile, able to perform many different roles based upon his item selection and playstyle. ** dramatically increases his damage. also benefits heavily from 's cooldown reduction, allowing him to gank more often with . After purchasing , Skarner can easily transition into purchasing tank items for the mid-game. Note and keep in mind that is a strong physical damage dealer anyway, and that this item gives good benefits when ahead. ** is a situational item on if he wants/has to fight other fighters or tanks. However, because damage is based entirely on his own attack damage it is generally more optimal to purchase cooldown reduction and attack damage when building offensively. ** is another choice for . The Immolate passive speeds up your clear and the bonus HP scales your tankiness throughout a game. In an average game, is the enchantment you should most likely purchase. ** can be good for . The stats together with provide an earlier powerspike as well as strong mana sustain and a speedy jungle clear. *** When used in tandem with , becomes an impressive offensive item that sports a strong slow added to and a good chunk of Health and Ability Power. Counterpicks * Marksmen such as and can destroy Skarner while kiting away from his grasp. ru:Skarner/Strategy Category:Champion strategies Category:Skarner